Home Runs Propel Yale to 10-4 Victory at UMBC

Charlie Neil (photo by Sam Rubin '95, Yale Sports Publicity)

Mar 08, 2010

BALTIMORE, Md. – The Yale baseball team
completed a three-game sweep of Maryland-Baltimore County this
afternoon, hammering the host Retrievers by a score of 10-4 at the
Baseball Factory Field at UMBC. Junior shortstop Trey Rallis and
sophomore outfielder Charlie Neil each hit three-run home runs in a
seven-run third inning that gave the Bulldogs a commanding early
lead, while freshman lefthander Christopher O’Hare made his
first collegiate start on the mound, scattering five hits over six
innings to earn the victory.

Yale moves to 3-0 with the win, while UMBC falls to 0-3.

The Bulldogs’ offense picked up 10 runs on just nine hits,
but half of those hits went for extra bases and Yale also worked
eight walks and benefited from a sacrifice fly and three hit
batsmen. Rallis and junior second baseman Gant Elmore each had two
hits, while junior designated hitter Andrew Moore drove in three
runs.

“Trey and Charlie had the biggest hits, but everybody in the
lineup was a tough out today,” said John Stuper, the Mazzuto
Family Head Coach for Baseball at Yale.

On the hill, O’Hare (1-0) allowed just five singles In his
six innings of work, giving up two earned runs while striking out
five Retrievers and walking three. Sophomore Greg Lyons pitched a
perfect seventh inning for the Bulldogs, junior Alex Young hurled a
scoreless eighth and freshman Avery Lanman worked the ninth in his
collegiate debut.

“Chris O’Hare was outstanding today,” said Stuper
of his rookie southpaw. “He was hitting the strike zone
consistently with all of his pitches.”

UMBC struck in the first inning, as a Mike Conlon beat out an
infield hit and stole second to move into scoring position. A
groundout by Max Himmelstein, the second out of the inning, moved
Conlon to third base and a base hit to right field by Bryan Russo
brought him out with the game’s first run.

The 1-0 lead was short-lived, however, as an Elmore single started
a big third inning for Yale. Junior third baseman Andy Megee
followed with a single of his own, and Rallis came up next and
cleared the bases with his first home run of 2010. Two batters
later, sophomore catcher Ryan Brenner roped a double to centerfield
and Moore and sophomore outfielder Zach Tobolowsky walked to load
the bases with just one out. After a pitching change for UMBC,
junior outfielder Andrew Kolmar knocked Brenner home with a
groundout, and Neil then cleared the bases with the Bulldogs’
second three-run roundtripper of the inning.

A 7-1 lead was more than enough for O’Hare, who breezed
through the bottom of the third, but Yale was not done putting runs
on the board. Senior first baseman Trygg Larsson-Danforth started a
two-out rally in the top of the fourth with a walk, and Brenner
worked another free pass to keep the inning alive. Moore was up
next, and he cashed in on the RBI opportunity with a double to
plate both Larsson-Danforth and Brenner.

Larsson-Danforth drew a one-out walk to start up the Yale offense
again in the top of the sixth inning, and Brenner was then hit by a
pitch. Both runners moved up 90 feet on a wild pitch, and Moore was
once again the beneficiary as he drove Larsson-Danforth home with a
sacrifice fly.

The Retrievers would get to O’Hare in their half of the sixth
inning, as Casey Medairy picked up an RBI with a base hit, but
Yale’s freshman southpaw struck out Curtis Schickner to end
the inning and exit his first career start in line for the victory
with a comfortable 10-2 lead.

UMBC would tack on two runs in the ninth inning, but the
Bulldogs’ offensive outburst was more than enough as the Yale
wrapped up a three-game sweep of the host Retrievers with a 10-4
win.

Conlon was the home team’s offensive leader with a 3-for-4
day at the plate, while Russo had a pair of RBI. Marty Zawacki
(0-1) made the start for UMBC and allowed six earned runs and five
hits over the first 2.1 innings. He also walked four batters while
striking out two. Sean Swetnam was the Retrievers most effective
hurler on the afternoon, allowing no hits and one earned run over
the final three innings.

The 3-0 Bulldogs will head further south to continue their spring
trip, with a stretch of eight games at the RussMatt Central Florida
Invitational beginning tomorrow against the University of Rhode
Island. First pitch from Lake Myrtle Park in Auburndale, Fla. is
scheduled for 4:30 p.m.